tailor and taylor are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. tailor means “adjust to a specific need or market”. taylor means “United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)”. taylor is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈteɪlɚ/
1.v.adjust to a specific need or market
“a magazine oriented towards young people”
2.v.style and tailor in a certain fashion
“cut a dress”
3.v.create (clothes) with cloth
“Can the seamstress sew me a suit by next week?”
| tailor | taylor | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈteɪlɚ/ | /ˈteɪlɚ/ |
| Said | TAY-lur | TAY-lur |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 6 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | noun |
| Senses | 4 | 3 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | orient | Deems Taylor, Joseph Deems Taylor |
Full entry for tailor · Full entry for taylor · More comparisons
/ˈteɪlɚ/
1.n.United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
2.n.United States film actress (born in England) who was a childhood star; as an adult she often co-starred with Richard Burton (born in 1932)
3.n.12th President of the United States; died in office (1784-1850)